Method of and apparatus for coating paper



F. P. REED.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR COATING PAPER. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21, ISIS-RENEWED JAN. 10,1921. 1,394,444.

Patented 0011 .18, 1921 3 SHEETS--SHEET 1.

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METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR COATING PAPER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21, 1918- RENEWED JAN. 10,1921.

Patented 001:. 18, 1921.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR COATING PAPER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21, I918. RENEWED JAN. 10. 1921.

1,394,444. Patented 0.01;. 18, 1921.

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FREDERIC PAYSON REED, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE I ASSIGNMENTS, TO CHARLES C. ORCU'IT,'OF LONG BRANCH, NEW JERSEY.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR COATING PAPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

I Application filed June 21, 1918, Serial No. 241,103. Renewed January 10, 1921. Serial No. 436,388.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERIC PAYSON REED, a citizen of the United States, residing at 59 Rutledge avenue, East Orange, in the county of Essex, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of and Apparatusv for Coatin Paper, (Case 2;) and I do hereby dec are the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. I

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus whereby paper may be given a colored or tinted surface capable of taking'a high polish to render it. suitable as a coverlng for candy and other boxes and for other urposes where glazed paper is required. uch papers are now on the market and extensively used; but their method of production is tedious and costly and involves heavy waste, and the machines for producing them are elaborate in design and expensive to construct and operate, this being largely due to the fact that the size and color are applied separately and at different stages, with the result that the last of the liquid compositions thus applied frequently mars the effect of the first com osition, or vice versa, and precludes satis actory calendering at a stlll later stage.

It is the object of this invention to mechanically produce, in a continuous manner, a paper having a finish of the character indicated which is obtained by means of comparatively simple devices or mechanism, at much lower cost and with much less expenditure of time and labor.

A further object of the invention is to impart to a continuous sheet of paper, finished as above described, an agate or marbled appearance, thereby producing a paper of the kind generally used as a lining for books of record, as a covering for files, etc.; and a still further object is to effect quick drying of the paper after the coating has been completed, in order to eliminate the danger of the colors running, as well as the need for supporting the paper for a relatively long time in festoons, in accordance with the usual practice.

To attain the foregoing objects and advantages, and others which will hereinafter appear or are inherent in the method and apparatus of my invention. I have devised an apparatus or machine so constructed that a continuous Web of paper can be unwound into the sheet, so as to produce the desired surface upon drying. Thereafter, the colored and sized face of the web, if required to be given an agate or marbled finish, is streaked, while stlll moist, with particles of a different liquid color, and is then passed over an arched plate or shield of metal, under which gas is burned to set the colors and cause preliminary drying of the web and, in effect, to iron the sheet, and is finally subjected to such fanning with air as will dry it to the necessary degree. Then it is wound up into a finished roll suitable for marketing.

A machine constructed in accordance with the foregoing is illustrated somewhat diagrammatically on the accompanying drawings, wherein 2-- Figures 1 and 2, placed end to end, constitute a sectional elevation of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a fragmental plan view of Fig. l;

Figs. 4 and 5 are transverse sections taken,

respectively, on lines 44 and 55 Fig.

Figs. 6 and 7 are respectively, a side elevation and a plan view of a portion of the brushing mechanism; and

Fig. 8 is a transverse section thereof.

The machine illustrated in the drawings comprises a framework, at the front end of which is rotatably mounted the roll 1 of paper to be coated, which may be of the character ordinarily used in the art for making this class of goods, or of any other suitable character. As the sheet or web of paper unwinds from roll 1, it passes through a train of tension rolls 2, then around a larger tension roll or drum 3 and then over a guide roll 4 to and around a rotating drum 5, at which point it is subjected to the action of the coating means.

The coating means is here shown as comprising a roll 6 which, in the present instance, rests upon and is frictionally driven by a roll 7, the latter dipping into the liquid composition contained in a tank 8; but such arrangement, while preferred, is not essential,'since the roll 6 may itself dip into the liquid in the tank. The roll 7 (or the roll 6, if used alone) is power-driven in suitable manner (not shown) and is capable of a slight adjustment toward and from the drum 5 so as to regulate the amount of liquid applied to the web,for which purpose its shaft 9 is supported at its ends in bearing slides 10, which are mounted in guideways 11 in the tops of the frame sides (Fig. 4), said slides being shifted in one direction or the other by means of threaded rods 12. The liquid contained in the tank consists of a mixture ofsize and color in suitable proportions, anilin preferably forming the base of the liquid color, while the size may be-of any character or composition capable of producing the desired polish or glaze. In this way, both size and color are applied at one and the same operation, and by a single coating device; and since the mixture of the two elements is prepared before being deposited in the tank, the effective action of both of them upon the web is thus assured, with the result that the objectionable features present when the sizing and coloring steps are separately and successively car.- ried out are avoided.

After the mixture of size and color has been applied to the web in the manner above described, the coated face of the web, while still moist, is subjected to a rubbing action, which serves to distribute the coating evenly thereover and to work it thoroughly thereinto; and it is this rubbing action, in fact, upon which the success of the coating operation depends. In the construction illustrated, which may be considered for all present purposes as preferred, the rubbing action is obtained by means of brushes, which extend into contact with the coated face of the sheet, and there is employed for that purpose a set of brushing devices 13, in this instance four, which are disposed above and transversely with respect to the web, and are reciprocated endwise forward and backward across its coated face. Each of these devices may advantageously comprise a carrier bar 14, arranged horizontally and in spaced parallel relation to the other bars, and supported and guided at its ends in a pair of slotted uprights 15, mounted upon the tops of the frame sides, the several bars being connected at one end by means of pivoted rods 16 to cranks 17 provided in a shaft 18, the latter being journaled at its ends in horizontal bearing brackets 19 attached to the frame. and being driven from a source of power. Eachcarrier bar 14 has connected to it, by means of a pair of depending straps 20 (Figs. 6, 7 and 8) a bar 21, to which the holders 22 for the brushes 23 are fastened, these holder bars 21 being preferably disposed slightly to one side of their carrier bars 14:, due to the offset formation of the straps 20, which latter may have a pin-and-slot or similar adjustable connection 24 with the carrier bars, to enable the brushes to be moved toward or from the web. The brush holders 22 are provided at their lower ends with pairs of laterally-projecting lugs 25 in which the tufts of bristles or the like comprising the brushes or rubbers are secured, said lugs 25 being disposed below the lower edges of the holder bars 21, with one lug of each pair extending beneath and across said edges so that the brushes on each holder bar are thus arranged in two rows on opposite sides thereof.

After passing beyond the brushing mechanism, the web is next streaked with a liquid color different from that incorporated with the size and forming the body or background color, this step being employed when an agate or marbled finish is desired. The device for effecting the streaking may comprise a tank 26 containing a liquid color of suitable composition, of which anilin may be the base, such tank having a smooth cylindrical roller 27 mounted to rotate in it and dipping into the liquid. Above and slightly in front of the roller is mounted a shaft 28 rotatable counter to the roller 27 and carrying a plurality of brushes 29 which contact with the smooth top face of said roller and flick off little specks of the liquid color, delivering them diagonally downward upon the top face of the traveling web. It is essential to proper production of the agate or marbled effect that the specks of color spattered on the paper shall have a chance to spread or run slightly; and since a moist surface facilitates this spreading, it is necessary that the streaking action occur while the paper is still wet. The roller and brush shafts are supported in vertical brackets 30 on the frame sides, and may be driven in any desired way.

The moving sheet is supported in arched form by a curved plate 31 of metal, galvanized iron for example, preferably faced on the top with a layer of woven wire screen 32. By supporting the sheet in arched form, as it passes from drum 5 at the front of the machine to a similar drum 33 at the rear of the machine, it has no chance to pucker or wrinkle, and considerable tension may be applied to it without disadvantageous results, this pulling of the moist sheet over the hot screen resulting in an ironing action on the sheet. which is effective in smoothing it and in driving out the moisture.

lVhile traveling between drums 5 and 33, the sheet is subjected to heat of very considerable intensity, this being supplied by a plurality of gas burners 34 extending transversely of the machine and each having a large number of small jets playing directly It is a function of the superimposed woven wire screen to distribute and equalize the heating effect on the traveling sheet of paper, not only because of heat transference along the wires of the screen, butalso because of the small air pockets or cells between the meshes of the wire. With the arrangement described, I am able to heat the paper quickly and conveniently, thereby quickly setting the colors, and I do this without injury to the paperor to the coloring material. When making anagate or marbled paper, the high speed ofdrying is of importance because it checks what other- Y wise might be a too extensive spread of the particles of color spattered on by the rotating brushes.

Owing to the fact that no point on the paper surface is constantly in contact with the hot metal, the temperature of the screen can be high, and its ironing effect more' pronounced than if a fiat'metal surface were used. Also, the moisture has a chance to escape from the under surface of the sheet through the meshes of the screen, while at the same time being liberated from the upper or more exposed face of the sheet.

In order that there may be no overheating of the paper above the burners, when for any reason the machine must be stopped, I provide the machine with means for lifting the sheet out of contact with the wire netting of the supporting arch. This lifting means comprises a plurality of transverse rods 35 underlying the sheet, and each supported at its ends by arms 35' connected together by a pair of horizontal bars 36, one at each side of the machine, each arm 35 being pivoted at its upper end to a suitable support 37. By pushing longitudinally on either bar 36,.the arm 35 will be caused to swing about their pivotal supports, and rods 35 will lift the sheet high enough to prevent overheating. As a means for efl ecting this longitudinal movement of bars 36, I may use a pair of links 38 (Fig. 2), pivoted together at 39 and connected to a vertical rod 40, the latter being movable up or down to raise or lower the paper. Suitable stops 41 may be provided for holding the lifting mechanism in any desired position.

The drum 33 may be heated by a plurality of gas burners 42 located within its interior and fed with gas through a hollow shaft 43 on which the drum is rotatably mounted; and

, after leaving said drum 33, the sheet passes over a plurality of fans 44, each of which need be nothing more than a flat plate of metal extending longitudinally across the machine and mounted to rotate on a hori-.

a belt 46, which is itself power driven in any desired way.

his'fanning cools the sheet,helps to drive away the excess moisture and equalizes and tempers the sheet, giving the remaining moisture a chance to become equalized between the upper and lower'faces of the sheet,

and putting the sheet substantially in condition for rewinding into a roll.

In order that'the sheet'may be suitably supported while passing above the fans, sets of tapes 47 and 48 are provided, between which the sheet travels. The upper tapes 47 are endless, and are caused to move with the same velocity as the sheet, their lower stretches passing beneath a series of drums 49, which assist in the supporting operation, while their u per stretches are engaged with recessed gui e rollers 50, which keep the tapes in proper spaced relation on the drums. The lower tapes 48 are shown as stationary, and as supported at their opposite ends from the frame, though they likewise may be movable similarly to the tapes 47 The drums and tapes thus form two inverted arches, between which the traveling sheet may be held taut without puckering, or without sagging when the machine is stopped. Finally, the sheet is delivered over a drum 51, heated by gas burners 52 if desired, and thereafter passes around a guide drum 53 and roller 54, and through tension rolls 55 to a power driven winding drum 56 where it is wound up as a finished roll, the pull of the drum 56 being utilized to unwind the paper from roll 1 and cause it to travel through the entire machine.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described hereinabove and illustrated in the drawings as aforesaid, no limitation to the precise structure comprised in such disclosure is contemplated, excepting in so far as may necessarily be imposed by the language of the ap-' pended claims, since the invention is obviously susceptible of considerable modification and change within the scope of said claims, and since parts of the invention as disclosed may be employed without others, and in other and different environments.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a coating machine, the combination of means for applying a liquid coating material to one face of a continuous sheet of 3 terial to one face of a continuous sheet of paper; and a reciprocatory holder bar movable forward and backward across the coated face of the sheet and having its opposite side faces disposed in vertical planes, said bar being provided on each side face thereof with a row of depending members extending into contact with said coated face to distribute the coating material evenly thereover and to work it into the sheet.

3. In a coating machine, the combination of means for applying a liquid coating material to one side of a continuous sheet of paper; a carrier movable endwise over the coated face of the sheet; a pluralit of depending straps adjustably connecte to said carrier to move toward and from said sheet; a holder bar attached to said straps and disposed below and parallel with said carrier; and a plurality of depending brush-holders attached to said holder bar.

4. In a coating machine, the combination of means for applying a liquid coating material to one side of a continuous sheet of paper; a reciprocatory carrier bar movable endwise over the coated face of the sheet; a holder bar disposed below and parallel with the carrier bar and connected to the same to move therewith; and a plurality of holders connected to the holder bar and having pairs of brush-carrying lugs which project latererally in opposite directions beneath the lower edge of said holder bar so as to providea row of brushes on each side of said holder bar.

5. The process of coating paper, which consists in applying a mixture of size and liquid color to one face of a continuous sheet of paper; distributing the mixture evenly over said face and working it into the sheet; and subjecting the sheet so treated to, a heating action of high intensity, while maintaining it out of contact with the heating element.

6. The process of-coating paper, which consists in applying a mixture of size and liquid color to one face of a continuous sheet of paper; working the mi xture evenly into said face; and thereafter. streaking said face, while moist, with-asliquid col-or different from that mixed-with the size.

7. The process of coating paper, which consists in applying a mixture of size and liquid color to one face of a continuous sheet of paper; working the mixture evenly into said face; thereafter streaking said face, while moist, with a liquid color different from that mixed with the size; and subjecting the sheet so treated to a heating action of high intensity, while maintaining it out of contact with the heating element.

8. The process of coating paper, which consists in applying a mixture of size and liquid color to oneface of a continuous sheet of paper; distributing the mixture evenly over said face and working it into the sheet; and thereafter spattering particles of a liquid color different from that mixed with the'size over said face.

9. The process of coating paper, which consists in applying a mixture of size and liquid color to one face of a continuous sheet of paper; rubbing the mixture into the sheet; and thereafter spattering particles of a liquid color different from that mixed with the size over said face.

10. The process of coating paper, which consists in applying a mixture of size and liquid color to one face of a continuous sheet of paper; working the mixture into thesheet; spattering particles of a liquid color different from that mixed with the size over said face while still moist; and subjecting the sheet to a rapid drying action to promptly set the particles of color.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

FREDEBIC PAYSON REED 

